All crop yields were reduced in the district, the norm being in the order of 40-50%. This was as a result of two factors: the continuing effects of drought had severely reduced crop levels and the vines were recovering from the huge yields of the 2002 vintage. Both factors combined to result in a large crop reduction throughout the region. Preston Peak's vineyards showed a similar trend to the rest of the district, but in the circumstances we welcomed the reduced tonnage and sought to maximise the quality of the grapes that we had.

Good rain continued to fall through out March and into April, making the cattle sleek and fat, the countryside verdant and grapegrowers anxious. Late ripening white varieties and red grapes suffered from a degree of rot, although it must be said that Preston Peak's own grapes, thanks to the diligence of vineyard manager Rex Creer, remained in excellent condition. Whilst some grapegrowers suffered from their grapes refusing to budge in sugar levels, the well drained nature of our vineyard soils ensured that the sugar levels rose in our grapes at a steady rate. At the time of writing only one patch of Cabernet Sauvignon remains unpicked and is weathering the rain with good grace. All whites have been harvested and all Shiraz is in tank, either undergoing ferment or just finished ferment.

Early indications of quality from the 2003 vintage come from winemaker Rod MacPherson:

" Due to the drought we saw a lot of very small berries and some ripening stress in white grapes. This has meant that I have had to be particularly careful with these grapes at the pressing stage to avoid phenolic pickup in the wines. I'm seeing some interesting flavours in reds. Shiraz is showing some earthy, leathery flavours, not huge tannins but some really interesting secondary flavours all the same which should be pretty interesting after some time in oak. It's still too early to tell with Cabernet but I reckon this vintage we'll see some great reds."